Desperate Measures
by angel-death-dealer
Summary: In captivity, Kate makes a rash choice for a chance to see Jack, leaving her life in the balance. Jate oneshot. PreIDo,


**I know we've already seen Kate and Sawyer escaping, but this is another version of what could have happened in captivity. A lot of season two I did my own endings of, which you liked, and I haven't really done that for season three so far, because it's just too complicated, and every episode would end up with too similar a plotline. This, however, is something that I think could have happened in captivity. Kate and Sawyer are in the cages, but there was no kissing, and definately no skex. Jack is being held in the Hydra station, but hasn't been asked to do the surgery on Ben.**

**I hope you enjoy it as much as you did the others ones. I've given it a high rating, and I'm sorry if the content makes anyone uncomfortable or offends anyone, that's not the intention, trust me.**

**As always, I don't own the characters. If I did, I'd probably still keep Sawyer in the cage though, just put Jack and Kate in the same one and make THEM get it on!**

**Sam**

**xxxxxxxx**

Three weeks. Three weeks that could easily have been an eternity. She wouldn't have known the difference. Days went by monotonously, no release, no end to this torture they'd succumbed to. The only human contact they'd had was Tom visiting them twice a day to bring them food. At first, they'd planned escape, Sawyer had tried to break the lock, Kate had tried to squeeze through the bars of the cage, which were slightly wider at the top, but it was no use. They were stuck.

Sawyer had held on to a shred of hope that kept him going. He'd been locked up before, several times, and this was nothing new to him in reality. He'd endured beatings and starvation at points in his life which had been his lowest, and he knew that whatever The Others were going to throw at him, he would take it with every ounce of dignity he had earnt himself in his pathetic life.

Kate, however, became even more tortured than he did. At first, she was determined to escape, to rid herself of the sort of confinement she had been running from for years now. She'd fought tooth and nail against every inch of the bars, begging for a weakness to present itself so she could get out of the cage. She'd argued incessantly with Tom when he had brought the food. He used to bring it into the cage for them, but since Kate had turned psycho and attemped to attack him so they could escape, he only gave them the food through the bars. He didn't even bother to bring the keys with him anymore.

Slowly, the three weeks went by. It didn't bother Kate that she didn't get to stretch her legs, or go for a walk, or eat without feeling like an animal at the zoo. It didn't even bother her anymore that as she fought to get the slightest bit of sleep, just to help her mind escape from this waking nightmare, she could hear the occasional buzzing which she knew now came from the security cameras that watched their every move. It didn't bother her that any one could be watching when she used the bathroom she'd created in the most hidden part of her cage, away from where Sawyer could see her, at least. Nothing bothered her.

Except that the three weeks had deprived her of Jack.

No word, no glance, not even the slightest hope that he was alive.

Part of her knew that he was alive. She didn't know what it was that bound them together, but it was strong, and the look they'd shared in the last moments they'd seen each other on the dock had proved that. This strength, she believed, was what told her every day that he was alive, and that if she just kept on fighting, she'd see him again.

As she did most of the time, considering there was nothing to do, on the twenty-second day of their confinement, Kate was sitting in her cage, cuccooned in her own thoughts as she sat blankly with her back against the wall of the cage, cold stone meeting equally cold metal in the corner she'd worn into her usual space.

Sawyer stood in his cage, leaning against the bar with his arms linking through the railings, holding tight to them as he watched her fall even further into dispair; something that, after twenty two days, he couldn't watch for a twenty second time.

"C'mon, Freckles. Give me a smile." He tempted, trying anything to get her mind off the fact that their hope was fading every day. However, his hope in her optimism was fading just as much, as there hadn't been a day so far where she had responded to his efforts. At first, she had met them with sarcastic remarks, but as her strength waned and her heart beat only for the purpose of seeing Jack again, sarcasm had been the last thing on her mind.

"Just leave me alone, Sawyer." She said, empty and emotionless as she didn't even raise her head to look at him. She was a shell of herself, anyone could see that. It was just a matter of whether something would be done about it. Only, with two sets of bars and about twenty feet of open space between them, Sawyer could only do so much to help her.

"Look on the bright side." He suggested, a false smile crossing his features.

This time, she looked up at him, devestation written on her face and he could see that she was on the verge of crying. He knew that she cried when she thought he was asleep, he heard her every night and it killed him inside. "What, exactly, is the bright side?" She demanded of him, as if he were crazy."

He shrugged. "We're both alive, and they're clearly not going to kill us." He pointed out to her.

Kate couldn't find the energy to make him understand that by seperating her from Jack, they were already killing her. This was just a slow death, more painful than any phsyical wound they could give her. "You don't know that." She told him weakly.

"If they were, they would have done it by now." He told her.

She sighed, getting to her feet. She went to the front of the cage, holding onto the bars as Sawyer was doing. She met his eyes, allowing him to see the emotional train wreck she was suffering inside. "I can't keep this up, Sawyer..." She said softly, as she felt the very last shred of hope starting to abandon her.

He gave her a determined look. "Hey, don't you go giving up on me, sweet cheeks." He told her.

She shook her head, leaning her forehead against the cold metal that enclosed her. "I can't..." She said weakly, the lump in her throat raising her voice from it's usual octave.

"Yes, you can." He told her firmly.

"No, I can't." She said, just as forcefully as he had done. "I need him, Sawyer." She added in a quieter tone.

He knew who she was talking about straight away. It had taken all of the three weeks for her to admit that it was him she was holding on for, and now that she had, he knew that this was her downfall. This, was Kate Austen giving up. "You mean, the doc?" He said, even though he knew the answer.

Kate nodded against the bars, allowing the tears to spill down her cheeks. However, her shred of remaining pride only allowed one sob to escape her trembling lips.

"What's so special about him, anyhow?" Sawyer asked her quietly.

"I need him, Sawyer." She repeated. "I need to know that he's okay, and I need to tell him that-"

"Tell him what?" He prompted, when her choked voice cut her off.

"I just need to be with him." She said desperately.

Sawyer looked around, sighing as his eyes fell onto the cameras that had moved, fixed firmly on them. "Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but I don't think they're going to let that happen." He told her.

"What-?"

He pointed in the direction of the cameras, showing her that they were watching them. "They're watching us, and now they know that you want him." He explained. "I don't think that they're gonna hand him over on a silver platter."

Kate focused her stare on the camera, knowing that she needed to do something that was going to _make _them take her to Jack. The idea formed in her mind, and then she tore her gaze away from the camera, searching for something on the ground.

"Freckles, what are you doing?" Sawyer asked, recognising the look on her face that came from one of her determined ideas. Usually, these involved Jack, and he had a feeling that this was no different.

She found what she was looking for in the form of a sharp rock on the ground. She'd known it was sharp because a few days before, when she was restless, she'd sat and hit against the side of the concrete block which she used for a seat sometimes. She picked it up and showed it to Sawyer.

His eyes widened when he realised her plan. "Kate, don't even think about it!" He said quickly, panicky even.

She shook her head. "The only way I'm going to see him is if I need a doctor." She explained.

"That's no reason to start squirting blood around, Freckles." He said quickly, his eyes never leaving the rock she was holding. She was right, but there had to be another way. She started to raise the rock, leaning it against her wrist. "Kate! NO!" Sawyer said, sharper this time, catching her attention.

She looked up at him in desperation again. "I have to." She said softly, so that he almost couldn't hear her.

"What will Jack think?" He asked, in a last attempt to make her see sence. It worked, and at the mention of his name, she held his gaze, her hands unmoving towards her intention. "What do you think is goin' to go through his head when he sees you dyin' infront of him?" She bit her lip at the word 'dying', and it made her flinch a little. "Yeah, dying." Sawyer nodded. "'Cause that's what you're gonna be when you cut your wrist like that, sugarpop. Now, I'm no doctor, but you're starvin' hungry, dehydrated...I reckon you'd have about five, ten minutes tops. You sure that's something you're willing to do?"

Kate sighed, shaking her head as tears continued to stream down her face. "I won't make it deep." She said.

Sawyer never took his eyes off her as he nodded, knowing her pain would drive her too it. "Yes, you will." He said simply.

Kate bit her lip, not wanting to burst into the noisy tears that threatened to choke her. Without warning, and desperate to put an end to the suffering, knowing that either Jack or death would end it, she pressed hard on the stone and quickly dragged it over the fragile skin on her wrist.

"NO! HEY, WE NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE! KATE! NO! DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP! DON'T YOU DARE!"

Her last awarenes was on Sawyer's voice, which called out to her as she fell to the ground with the pain, and then all was black.

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_"She needs to see Jack."_

_"I'm sure you can perform a few simple stitches, Juliet."_

_"She's losing too much blood. Ben. If you don't go and get Jack right now, this woman is going to die."_

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"What happened this time?" Jack asked, as Ben brought him to the door outside when he knew now to be thier operating theatre. He'd done some simple sutures for them, and removed one of their appendix last week, so he knew that someone needed help, but the nervous look in Ben's eye caused him to suspect that this was different.

"Now, Jack, before I show you who's behind this door, I need you to understand that any hesitation is going to result in her death." Ben explained. "She's lost a lot of blood and still losing-"

"Then I suggest you let me in there now." Jack said, barging past him.

His word stopped the minute he lay eyes on the person he would be operating on.

"Kate..." He murmered weakly, as he saw that the painful and soft moands escaping her mouth were to do with the amount of blood that he could see everywhere. Her blood.

_Any hesitation is going to result in her death._

Ben's words hit him properly this time, and he found himself going into autopilot. Approaching Kate's side, he immediately worked on stalling the bleeding that Juliet's pressure was managing to subside. He swore under his breath, however, as he sewed her wrists closed. She'd cut deep. This hadn't been an accident. Kate had wanted to do this.

After a long half an hour, perhaps the longest of his life, Jack finished placing the bandages around her wrist, wrapping them tightly to secure them in place. The whole time, Kate had been half-conscious, bordering on a part of her mind that would help her escape the pain, yet fighting to hold on to the frightening reality at the same time.

Jack went towards her face, removing the face mask and scrub cap he'd been given to wear, as well as the blue overcover that prevented him infecting the wounds. He didn't need them now, her wrists were closed and wrapped. Placing his hand on her cheek, three week of absence reminded him just how much he cared for this woman, and he knew exactly why she had been the only thing on his mind since he had first come too in the glass-sheilded tank he'd been put in.

"Kate..." He whispered softly, before repeating firmly when her attention didn't focus on him. "Kate, can you hear me?" He asked. She groaned, her head moving randomly, fighting to escape the pain that she was feeling. "Kate, listen to my voice, babe, listen to me."

The word 'babe' attracted all attention in the room, both Kate's and that of the others. Juliet and Ben exchanged a knowing glance, whilst Kate's eyes came to focus on Jack's face.

She looked up at him, thankful, but weak. "Ja--Jack..." She said, trailing off when her voice became to fragile to speak.

Jack smiled, laughing a little. (A/N: Basically, the same reaction to their reunion in I Do). His relief showed through the smile that she had missed so much, yet couldn't express because of her weakness. "Yeah, that's right." He told her, using his thumb to stroke her cheek as he leant over her, wanting to be close to her. "It's me...it's Jack."

She sighed, closing her eyes again for a moment before looking up at him. "Jack..." She said breathlessly, her own relief removing all the pain from her body. She was with him now. It had worked.

He tried not to laugh at the relief that was overcoming him, and leant down, kissing her forehead, letting his lips linger as he spoke comforting words to her. "It's okay, Kate. It's okay...you're safe now."

Kate made a small whimper, as it was too much of an effort to cry like her body wanted to. Still, tears spilled over her cheeks, and she raised her injured wrists up to Jack. He helped her to sit up, as she started to come to her senses more, and he moved behind her, embracing her against his chest. She was still groggy from the painkillers they'd given her before Jack had arrived.

"Why did you do this to yourself, Kate?" Jack asked desperately, the realisation that she'd tried to end her life finally hitting him for real now that he was holding her in his arms. "Why?"

Her voice was tired and disorientated as she spoke, but she leaned against him, placing her injured wrists around his arm in an attempt to hold herself to him, even though there was no chance of his arms letting her leave him. "I had...they wouldn't let me see you...this was the only way..."

Jack glared at Ben and Juliet, as he placed his hand protectively on the side of Kate's head, holding her in place against him. They were silent, not challenging the look of pure detest that he shot in their direction. They couldn't defend themselves against the way he protectively embraced her. After all, they hadn't known that she would react in this way when they had seperated them. Their means to break them had never been planned to reach these heights.

"Shh...it's alright now." Jack whispered into her ear as she tried to speak again, struggling to find the strength. "You're safe now, I'm here. I've got you. You're with me."

He remained there for a small while, allowing Kate a chance to overcome the wearying effects of the painkillers. He wanted to get her out of there, but not before ensuring that they weren't going to make her sick. When he was satisfied that her breathing had steadied, and that her strength was begining to come back, he rose from his seat behind her. She moaned at the loss of contact with him, but within seconds she was back in his arms. She curled around him, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her injured arms loosely linking around his neck, much in the way that a child would cling to a parent.

Effortlessly, he carried her worryingly thin body towards the door. However, Ben called out to stop him. "Where do you think you're going, Jack?" He demanded, not wanting him to forget just who was in charge.

Jack turned back, his glare towards them not changing since the last time.

"She needs to be returned to the enclosure..."

Jack cut him off almost immediately.

"She nearly killed herself so that she could see me." He spat at them, holding onto Kate tightly as he did so. "If you try to take her so much as an inch away from me, I'll kill you myself." Ben didn't speak, so Jack continued. "Now, she's going to come back with me, and that's where she's going to stay. With me. She's extremely weak, and lost a lot of blood, so I need food for her, and water. Not hamburgers and grilled cheese - proper substantial food, and fresh water. She's dehydrated, and I can feel her stomach rumbling against me. I want to kill you just for that, and that's without me pointing out that I can feel her ribs too easily through her shirt. I'm not going to ignore the fact that she's been mistreted, because trust me, I'm nowhere near done with you on this, but for now, I need food and water, and blankets, so that she can get some proper rest, and if I find out that you've so much as laid a finger on her, I will kill you."

There was a silence, as Juliet looked to Ben, awaiting the reaction that he never gave. Neither had seen such a drive be emitted from Jack since they brought him here.

Jack notioned to the door, which he couldn't open since he was holding Kate in his arms. "You gonna get this door open, or what?"

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Kate wasn't aware of anything that happened next, but the next time she opened her eyes, she felt as if she was waking from a deep sleep. However, she was surprised to find that she was comfortable, and warm. Looking around her, she discovered that the cause for this comfort was because she was in a bed. A real bed. She frowned, confused, and as she did, a cold sensation presented itself on her forehead. She looked up, more aware of what was around her as she found Jack sitting over her, dabbing at her heated skin with a damp cloth.

"Jack?" She asked, her voice coming out in a weak, and in her mind, pathetic whisper.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty." He said, giving her a smile, but should easily see the concern that filled his eyes. The smile only lasted a second before all of his features collapsed into their previous mould of that of the protective worrier stance that he had adopted for himself around her. "About time you woke up."

"Where are we?" She asked quietly, tilting her head from side to side to see that she was, still, in a bed.

"I made some demands after I patched you up." He revealed. "You needed somewhere better than a cell or a cage to get your strength up, and I refused to let you out of my arms, let alone my sight, so they gave us some of their accomodation." Jack revealed, as he looked around the perfectly normal bedroom they were in. "Turns out they've got their own little town here." He explained.

Kate nodded, and as her eyes fell downwards, she caught sight of her arms, laying upon the bedspread, with the white bandages that covered her injured wrists contrasting strongly to the green of the bed covers. She lifted them up to examine them, and when she winced at the pain that shot through them, Jack held them tenderly in his hands, returning them to their resting place to ease her pain. However, this didn't work, as Kate began to realise just what she'd done. Tears filled her eyes, and she sniffed them back.

"Hey, it's okay." Jack whispered softly, stroking her hair to try and soothe her. "Don't cry..."

"I'm so sorry." She said, her voice on the verge of breaking, but she was still fighting to keep the emotion under wraps. "I didn't mean for it to come to this, Jack. I...I'm so sorry, Jack, really I am." She said.

"You nearly killed yourself, Kate." Jack told her quietly, his voice sounding just as pained as hers. "You nearly died. I was so scared that I'd lost you...even Sawyer was scared."

She remembered Sawyer's voice as she had faded into the darkness for the first time, and how he had tried to get her not to do it. "Sawyer...is he...?"

"He's here too." Jack nodded. "Not right here, but he's in the set of rooms next to us." He explained. He sighed as he went on to explain how Sawyer had known that Kate had lived. "When I carried you out of there, we went past the cages to get to this place...he saw me carrying you...and...and I thought he was going to cry, Kate. He thought you were dead, and for a minute, when I first saw you, so did I."

Seeing how torn up he was inside, she reached for his hand, taking it and squeezing it tightly no matter how much it hurt her. "I didn't mean to do that to you." She told him. "I just couldn't think of another way...three weeks, Jack. I didn't think I was ever going to see you again."

"I had to make a deal with them." He explained, knowing that the 'ripping off the band aid' was going to be better than prolonging it.

"What?" She asked, stumbling over the idea for a moment.

"I've got to stay for another three weeks." He told her, watching Kate's sad expression become one of absolute agony at the mere idea. "Sawyer's going to return to the beach, tomorrow morning, and it's your choice whether you say here, with me, in this place, or go back with Sawyer."

"I'm staying." She said firmly, not a second after the words had passed his lips.

He looked at her pleadingly. "No, Kate.."

"I'm not leaving you." She told him.

"I want you to go with Sawyer."

"Like you said, Jack, it's my choice." She retaliated, hearing his sigh. She waited for him to meet his eyes again. "I'm not being seperated from you for another three weeks. It'd kill me." She gave a hollow laugh at the irony of her phrasing. "It almost did this time."

"I'll be back, I promise." He told her, trying to disuade her from the idea of remaining with him.

"I won't leave you here. I need to be with you." She said.

"Kate-"

"It's best for everyone." She pointed out. "You won't be alone with these people, and I won't be making myself useless back at the beach by moping because you're not there." She shrugged absently. "I'll be with my doctor, so I'll know I'll get better, and I'm with the man I love, so I know that I'll be safe."

Jack looked down at her, his expression suddenly hopeful as he comprehended her last words. "Kate...you love me?" He asked her.

She lifted her wrists again. "Why else do you think I did all of this just to be with you?" She asked him.

She sat up as best she could as he leaned down to embrace her, so that he could hold her properly, and she felt his lips brushing against her neck. "I love you too, Kate." He told her, hearing the sigh of relief that she gave knowing that she hadn't risked everything for nothing. "But please, promise me you'll never do this to yourself again." He begged of her.

She nodded. "I have to reason to, not if I'm with you."

Jack pulled away from the hug, brushing a rogue strand of her hair behind her ear as he looked tenderly into her eyes. "You will be." He assured her. "I'm never going to leave you. I love you too damn much."


End file.
